How do I know if I’m a poker fish?

Am I actually one of the fish in the big poker sea?

To answer this question we first need to clarify what a poker fish is. Bad poker players who face long-term losses at the poker tables are called fish in the poker scene. Good players, who win money consistently and over the long term, are called sharks. Roughly speaking, a poker player who always loses is a fish.

Losing money in the long term doesn’t mean that you are a bad poker player. To be a successful long-term poker player requires more than good strategy, mathematical skills and strategic moves. Bankroll management and mindset (tilt) are often seriously underestimated by fish.

Many of you would be surprised to learn how often very solid poker players lose money in the long-term. Players always want to make fast money and nobody likes to lose, but being long-term profitable is something else entirely.

Patience is key

The road to profitability is difficult and takes a long time, the to losing generally thrilling, but quite fast. Poker is a long game. Even the best poker players in the world have to deal with setbacks and bad luck, and must patiently survive these phases. You can’t force anything in poker and you can’t do it fast. Often good players will spend weeks or months building up a reserve, and then quickly lose it in a few hours.

Angered at these losses, great players switch to tilt (making emotional and poor decisions) to try and recover their losses. Many people will jump to higher limits in a moment of frustration, which quickly diminishes bankroll. Casino side games offer a momentary distraction and quick losses. It’s terrible when it happens, and for many players it happens over and over again.

If you can’t be patient and you repeat the same mistakes over and over again, you might be a poker fish!

Conclusion

Your first response to reading this might be to think ‘I’m a good player and with my skills I’ll manage to win money at the tables in the long term,’ but in the end the data shows that your thoughts about yourself don’t matter, only patience, focusing on high rakeback sites, and good bankroll management can keep you in the black. Even if you are not a typical fish from a play-style point of view, you can still be described as a poker fish if you lose money from the long view. Look at your long-term winnings to answer the question for yourself if you are a poker fish or not. If you decide you may be a fish, take matter into your own hands and read our resources on playing profitable poker. Anyone can turn from fish to shark!

Online poker sites with the most fish

The providers listed below are known to have a lot of bad players (fish). So, if you’re a shark looking for fish, happy hunting.

Attention: If you have an existing player account with one of the providers, contact our support to check your player account. In many cases, we can help you to open and create a new player account, giving you extra rakeback and access to our exclusive promotions / tournaments. Only fish give away free money!